Sustainability Challenge
This challenge is for the makers and the environmentally conscious.
Level 1. Reuse or donate old hardware
We can prevent tons of electronic waste from going into landfills by repurposing or down-cycling our old tech. Older computers that are sluggish with Windows tend to perform like new with Linux installed on them. Smartphones can become security cameras, desktops can become home servers, you can even make a fish tank out of an old tube TV! This article from Make Use Of is a great place to start.
Level 2. Join a community makerspace
Did you ever wish there was a place that had all the wood-working tools, soldering stations, and laser-cutters that you wanted to make a project with? Well these places exit and they’re called makerspaces. These spaces usually charge a monthly membership fee for full access to the facility’s offerings. Most will also offer training on the equipment, classes for creative projects, and special interest groups you can join. In addition to the large, dedicated facilities like the ones listed at this Makerspace Directory, your local libraries may offer some creative spaces as well.
Level 3. 3D print stuff
From custom figurines to whole rocket engines, 3D printing has revolutionized the creative and industrial engineering worlds alike. 3D printing enables you to produce objects of nearly any design without having to order it from a specialized manufacturer. This help you fix broken items in your office (like a Logitech Keyboard leg), print custom wall decorations, or even make a custom beard shaping tool.
If you don’t know where to begin with 3D printing, there are numerous websites, guides, turorials, forums, and videos for every question you will think of on your journey. Here are a few good places to start:
- 3D Printing for Beginners: How to Get Started with FDM
- For 3D models, check out: Thingiverse, Printables, Cults3D
FOSS Bonus - Share your designs with others on 3D model websites and become a prosumer.
Level 4.
Level 5. Learn to repair broken electronics
Recognize the elephant in the cryptocurrency room
Bitcoin CO2 emissions.
Resources
Education and Community
Hackaday.io - Hackaday.io is the world’s largest collaborative hardware development community.
Hackaday.com - “Hackaday serves up Fresh Hacks Every Day from around the Internet. Our playful posts are the gold-standard in entertainment for engineers and engineering enthusiasts.”
Make: - a resource for the Maker movement that’s dedicated to making your own things. They’re scope includes:
Make: Magazine - A magazine and blog
Maker Faire - The intersection of technology, culture, art and science, Maker Faires are a celebration of innovation, creativity and curiosity.
Right-to-repair
- iFixit - iFixit is a global community of people helping each other repair things.
Highly repairable products
- Framework Laptop - “A thin, lightweight, high-performance 13.5” notebook that can be upgraded, customized, and repaired in ways that no other notebook can.”
3d Printing
- Thingiverse - A massive host of 3d printing files for nearly every kind of object imaginable.